KCR MOVES INTO POSH NEW RESIDENCE

Hyderabad: Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao moved into his posh high security official residence-cum-camp office, Pragathi Bhavan, in Begumpet, at 5.22 am in the presence of China Jeer Swamy.

The sprawling housing-office complex was constructed at an estimated cost of Rs.60 crores with a built-up area of one lakh square feet on a nine acre plot. It comprises five buildings and can be described as a mini Secretariat. Under the watch of China Jeer Swamy and amidst chanting of Vedic hymns by pundits, the Chief Minister and his wife along with family members stepped into the new residence. Later the Chief Minister entered his office premises and sat in his seat as China Jeer Swamy blessed him.

Governor ESL Narasimhan and his wife, cabinet members of KCR, MPs and close relatives of the Chief Minister attended the traditional gruhapravesam function. After the ceremony was over, KCR and his wife were congratulated by the Governor and his wife and other VIPs who attended the event.

An estimated amount of nearly Rs 1 crore was spent on the sprawling lawns adorned by trees and plants specially brought from well known nurseries in Kadiam, Andhra Praesh. Manned by over 50 security personnel, the bullet-proof house fitted with all modern security gadgets is considered as the dream house of the Chief Minister.

As a matter of fact, the new residence could be called an extension of the camp office of the Chef Minister built earlier during the regime of Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy. The premises was used after repeated renovations by spending huge amounts by K. Rosaiah and N. Kiran Kumar Reddy during their stint as chief ministers.

The Chief Minister’s new residence, completed in a record time of nine months, was a target for opposition parties’ severe criticism. Students belonging to TNSF staged a dharna and tried to storm into the new premises in the morning but their attempt was foiled by a strong posse of policemen, who arrested the agitators and whisked them away in police vehicles. The students had been agitating over delay in fee reimbursement and payment of arrears by the state government. The Thursday’s protest was the culmination of the students’ prolonged agitation as they felt the Chief Minister “splurged the public money for his fancy residence”.

Congress leaders also lambasted KCR for constructing a new residence at a huge cost while the people were still waiting for their dream houses of 2-BHK as promised by the ruling party in its election manifesto and repeatedly promised by the Chief Minister on various occasions.

Telugu Desam’s Telangana Working President K. Revanth Reddy also went hammer and tongs against the Chief Minister for moving into his new posh residence while ignoring to fulfill the construction of Christian Bhavan, Banjara Bhavan, Komrum Bheem Bhavan, Adivasi Bhavan etc, for which foundation stones were laid with pomp at gala functions two years back.